FULL LIST: The winners of Cinemalaya 20 main competition

This joint production between Japan and the Philippines features two estranged half-sisters, portrayed by Gabby Padilla and Arisa Nakano, reuniting at their father’s funeral. Tackling grief, loss, and yearning, Kono Basho reminds audiences that hope and beauty are found in recovery, no matter how long it might take.

The title literally translates to ‘this place’, as the film’s plot revolves around the conflict of whether the inherited house would be shared by the sisters in honour of their father’s last will or be sold as one could not see herself living with the other. However, it also rhymes with and even sounds like the word ‘displace’, which points to the film’s background—Rikuzentakata’s post-2011 earthquake and tsunami recovery, which led to their father’s collection of postcards from the place he once called home.

Pacena’s storytelling through archival footage, juxtaposed with symmetrical and asymmetrical frames from his film and accentuated by poetically made animated dream sequences, solidifies his creative eye as a filmmaker.

This movie pales in comparison to Kip Oebanda's previous works. Corny lines and cheesy soap opera acting are slathered throughout the movie, which makes it hard to digest most of the time. Its narrative is but a surface-level critique of the Philippine political climate, as it merely says agreeable things. Despite its failings, the movie's message was clear: justice will claim its due.

The heart of the movie was its lead actress Marian Rivera, who was deglamorised for her role as Teacher Emmy. While her character does not deviate from her onscreen persona, the movie was able to show her versatility as an artist.

This documentary film took almost two decades to complete, and it was not something JL Burgos initially intended when he started filming. It was supposed to be a documentation of the twists and turns in their family’s search for his brother Jonas Burgos, one of the numerous victims of enforced disappearances in the Philippines, as these films would be helpful for them to prove a lot in their investigations. However, the years of fruitless search have not made the pain go away in his heart and that of his mother, who is a central figure in the documentary, not to mention the fact that today, many young people do not know any more about Jonas’s disappearance, which reigned television’s news programmes and broadsheet headlines in the 2000s.

Although it is a microscopic perspective on the perennial social ills, the film resonates with many audiences by promoting vigilance, criticality, and hope in pursuing truth.

The Hearing puts us in the in-between: sometimes in the shoes of a deaf and mute boy, and oftentimes in the noisy world around him. Like Carl Joseph Papa's Iti Mapukpukaw, the movie sought to tackle sexual harassment, delivering a gentle blow to the face of those who might have experienced it. However, it takes a darker turn in the latter half and portrays the Philippine justice system as the sham circus it often is.

Joshua Caesar Medroso's Kantil fused science fiction, romance, and social commentary into one intriguing film. While it managed to capture the audience's attention in the first half, it ultimately failed to keep everyone engaged due to its dragging storytelling.

See more: Why 'Truth' Matters to Cinemalaya 18 'Blue Room' Director Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan

An example of how a simple story can be transformed into a resonant film, Dominic Bekaert’s feature-length debut is not your typical road trip movie. Featuring Sid Lucero in perhaps his best film role yet, this anachronistic film is paralleled by a myth-making action film element. Made and edited in such a way that it reminds one of French new wave cinema, An Errand is based on a short story by reputable writer Sarge Lacuesta. In this film, we see Lucero subtly convey to the audience the social inequality we seldom brush aside and effectively empathise with him or understand what’s on his mind amidst silence and solitude.

It is drama, it is stoner comedy. In Gulay Lang, Manong, a struggling farmer is unexpectedly roped into assisting a local cop in his mission to dismantle a marijuana cartel in a bid to save his grandson. Written and directed by Bc Amparado, this off-beat dramedy provides a mix of amusement and insight into the country’s contentious issue of legalising medical marijuana. Despite its medicinal potential for certain conditions, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 makes the organic ingredient inaccessible to those who need it. 

The film was able to push for its advocacy: encourage viewers to consider the benefits of medical marijuana and its potential to provide affordable treatment options for poor Filipinos who cannot afford the costly medications controlled by dominant pharmaceutical companies.

Julius Lumiqued’s The Wedding Dance demonstrates the pressures of patriarchy. The film underscores the urgent need for the passage of a divorce law in the Philippines. Overall, while its message is clear, the film drags in some parts. Nevertheless, this movie is a true eye-opener.

Yet, given the weighty issues it tackles, the movie retains a sweetness that’s impressive. It captures the anxieties of a generation facing an uncertain future where institutions are failing, wealth dictates value, and the idea of a good life, including having a family, seems increasingly out of reach.

Jane Oineza and RK Bagatsing impressively depicted the struggles and hopes of young parents navigating the uncertainties of married life.

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